Mouthpiece for cleaning teeth comprised of alternating layers of base and bristle components
The mouthpiece includes a plurality of individual thin layers of material forming a base or shell portion of the mouthpiece alternating with a plurality of individual bristle layers which are configured to the shape of bristles at the interior surfaces thereof. The base layers are comprised of a material which is sufficiently stiff to permit driving of the mouthpiece, while the bristle layers comprise material which is sufficiently flexible to produce an effective scrubbing action in operation without damage to the mouth tissues.
1. A mouthpiece with multi-layer construction for cleaning teeth, comprising:
a plurality of separate individual base layers configured to form base or shell portions of the mouthpiece, wherein each individual base layer comprises a stiff material so that it can be driven for brushing movement of the mouthpiece;
a plurality of separate individual bristle layers configured for being positioned in an alternating arrangement between individual base layers, wherein each individual bristle layer comprises a single layer of individual bristle elements having free ends thereof for brushing teeth, wherein each layer of the plurality of alternating base and bristle layers are sequentially stacked, aligned and secured together in a stacked multi-layer assembly of individual alternating base and bristle layers to form a mouthpiece or portion thereof; and
a drive assembly coupled to the stacked multi-layer assembly to accomplish a brushing action with the mouthpiece or portion thereof.
2. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the front portion and the back or molar portions are further arranged to cover a user's teeth in both upper and lower jaws.
3. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the base layers comprise a thermoplastic material, having a thickness in a range of 0.10-0.75 mm, and wherein the bristle layers comprise a flexible material capable of brushing teeth without harm to surrounding tissues, with a thickness in a range of 0.05-0.25 mm.
4. The mouthpiece of claim 3 , further wherein the individual bristle elements have a length in a range of 2.5-5.0 mm.
5. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the separate individual base and bristle layers comprise cut out layers formed by laser cutting.
6. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein a maximum bristle stiffness of the individual bristle elements is characterized by a deflection of no more than 50% with an applied bristle tip pressure of 85 Newtons per cm 2 .
7. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly includes a motor and separate drive elements configured to couple the motor to (i) the front portion and (ii) the back or molar portions of the stacked multi-layer assembly.
8. The mouthpiece of claim 1 , further comprising a customized mouthpiece configuration arranged to fit a particular user's oral geometry, wherein individual layers of the alternating base and bristle layers of the stacked multi-layer assembly are custom formed by laser cutting in response to digital oral scan data of the particular user's oral geometry.